Sherlock Holmes and his friend Watson were on a camping and hiking trip.
They had gone to bed and were lying there looking up at the sky. Holmes said, "Watson, look up. What do you see?"
"Well, I see thousands of stars."
"And what does that mean to you?"
"Well, I guess it means we will have another nice day tomorrow. What does it mean to you, Holmes?"
"To me, it means someone has stolen our tent."
n. Water-soluble protein found in egg-white, milk, blood, etc. albuminous adj.
ALCHEMY
n. Medieval chemistry, esp. Seeking to turn base metals into gold. alchemist n. [arabic]
ALCOHOL
n. - (in full ethyl alcohol) colourless volatile inflammable liquid, esp. As the intoxicant in wine, beer, spirits, etc., and as a solvent, fuel, etc.
- liquor containing this.
- chem. Any of many organic compounds containing one or more hydroxyl groups attached to carbon atoms. [arabic: related to *kohl]
ALEMBIC
n. - hist. Apparatus formerly used in distilling.
- means of refining or extracting. [greek ambix, -ikos cap of a still]
ALFALFA
n. Clover-like plant used for fodder. [arabic, = a green fodder]
ALGEBRA
n. Branch of mathematics that uses letters etc. To represent numbers and quantities. algebraic adj. [ultimately from arabic al-jabr, = reunion of broken parts]
ALIMONY
n. Money payable to a spouse or former spouse after separation or divorce.
ALIQUOT
—adj. (of a part or portion) contained by the whole an integral number of times (4 is an aliquot part of 12). —n. - aliquot part.
- (in general use) any known fraction of a whole; sample. [latin, = several]
ALLEGRO
mus. —adv. & adj. In a brisk tempo. —n. (pl. -s) such a passage or movement. [italian, = lively]
ALLERGY
n. (pl. -ies) 1 adverse reaction to certain substances, esp. Particular foods, pollen, fur, or dust.
- colloq. Antipathy. [greek allos other]
- n. (pl. -ies) 1 adverse reaction to certain substances, esp. Particular foods, pollen, fur, or dust.
